Jordan Facts.

An archaeological wonder, Jordan just breathes history and culture. It is a land that has been inhabited by many ancient civilizations whose ruins and structures still stand today. One of these is the spectacular lost city for of Petra, which was a capital of the Nabataean Empire around 400 B.C. Jordan was also the place where many Biblical events took place, such as Jesus’ baptism and John the Baptist’s beheading of King Herod. Its amazing deserts are also great for exploration and adventures. However, it’s not all just deserts and ruins, as the modern and culturally diverse capital of Amman is there. Here, you can experience the passion and warm accommodation of the Jordonians.

JORDAN – IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING FACTS

Jordan is located in the heart of the Middle East, Northwest of Saudi Arabia, south of Syria, Southwest of Iraq, and east of Israel and the Occupied West Bank.

Jordan has a combination of Mediterranean and arid desert climates, with Mediterranean climates prevailing in the north and west of the country, while the majority of the country is desert.

Jordan has access to the Red Sea via the port city of Aqaba, located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Dead Sea, in the northwest of Jordan, forms the lowest point on earth. is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east, and Palestine and Israel to the west. Its surface and shores are 427 metres below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land.

John the Baptist is known to have been imprisoned in a palace named Mukawir, which is located just south of Madaba.

The Baptism site by the Jordan River is one of modern biblical archeology’s most notable discoveries. It is believed that this area called Wadi Kharar is where John the Baptist resided and was the baptism place of Jesus Christ.

It is widely believed that Mount Nebo in Jordan is the burial place of Moses. Mount Nebo is now in westernJordan. At 820 metres high, it looks down 1220 metres on the nearby Dead Sea (which is about 400 metres below sea level).

The city of Petra was literally carved into rock 2000 years ago which is widely known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Jordan’s economy is very small, in fact one of the smallest in the Middle East, owing to its limited natural resources.

Among the Petra’s amazing architecture, The Treasury is the most popular. It is estimated to be over 2,000 years. It is one of the most elaborate temples in the ancient Edomite city ofPetra.

JORDAN – COOL, FUNNY AND FUN FACTS

The Jordanians believe that praising children excessively can invite bad luck and is generally avoided.

It is considered polite to refuse a meal three times here before actually accepting it.

Almost every single building in Amman is made of stone or concrete and clad with thin, white limestone slabs. Thus there really are no landmarks and every building looks almost identical.

Jordan used to be a part of the Fertile Crescent in the ancient times. The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia, and the Nile Valley and Nile Delta of northeast Africa.

Petra is more popular for its 800 individual monuments that include buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets, that were mostly carved from the kaleidoscopic sandstone.

The structures on most of the Petra Archaeological site have been weakened by the salt that is blown from the Dead Sea and which crystalizes on the building’s columns.

It is in Petra that King Aretas called for the arrest of the Apostle Paul after he was converted into Christianity.

Among the most popular monuments in Petra is the 2,100-pound sandstone bust of Dushara, Petra’s primary male deity.

Petra is home to over 800 carved tombs, honoring Nabataean ancestors were literally cut into the rock using a unique process.

The Bedouin of the Arabian Desert have destroyed some of the most priceless carvings on the Treasury’s walls. They used the carvings as target during their shooting practice.

JORDAN – HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FACTS

Jordan was administrated by Great Britain, under the League of Nations’ Mandates System, till 1946.

Historically the region which is now Jordan has been controlled by many rulers including the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, in about 330 B.C. It came under the possession of the Seleucids.

Jordan is a member of the Arab League, established in 1945.

Ammon, Edom and Moab were the ancient kingdoms in the Jordan region.

In 1946, Jordan was established as an independent country, with Emir Abdullah being its king.

King Hussein (1935-1999) ruled Jordan for forty-seven years. His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, the father of modern Jordan, will always be remembered as a leader who guided his country through strife and turmoil to become an oasis of peace, stability and moderation in the Middle East.

Petra is thought to have been built during the Byzantine Era of the 5th and 6th AD when Petra became an important Christian center.

The city was first established in 312 BC; making it one of the oldest metropolises in the world.

Since the early 1800s, when it was “rediscovered,” clues to daily life in this “lost city of stone” are being unearthed and today we are beginning to see once again what Petra looked like 2,000 years ago.

Petra: Lost City of Stonefirst was conceived in 1994 by the Cincinnati Art Museum, which joined forces with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a decade-long effort to gather the 200 exceptional objects that comprise the exhibit.